Torch put to the test

In just over five weeks time the countdown to the London 2012 Games will step up a gear as the Olympic torch sets off on its 70 day tour of the UK.

The torch will arrive in Whitby on June the 18th. Its route then includes Hull, Harrogate and York, passing through Leeds, Wakefield and Sheffield the following weekend, and Lincoln , Mansfield and Chesterfield the week after.

To make sure it survives the journey, tests have been carried to see how well it copes in different weather conditions. London 2012 organisers used an aerodynamic testing facility at BMW’s headquarters in Munich.

The Olympic torch was tested on two occasions – the first phase involving early prototype torches being tested alongside previous successful Olympic torch designs. The second phase involved final stage testing for close to production torches.

During both testing phases, the torches were exposed to extreme weather conditions in an attempt to replicate all conditions that the torches may encounter during the 70-day Olympic Torch Relay. The test weather conditions included heat extremes from +40oC to minus -5oC, snow, steady wind speeds of 35 mph, gusting wind speeds of 50mph, rain and 40% humidity – replicating all potential weather conditions possible during the Relay. In all tests the flame remained alight.